


the light of your afterword

by patrichor



Series: c!dream gets beat UP [3]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Courtroom Drama, Fix-It, Gen, Ghost Wilbur Soot, Older Sibling Wilbur Soot, Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, but ghostbur does absolutely ruin his plans, except minus the exile, i maintain wilbur knows how to make his presence everyone's problem, it's a natural talent lmao, it's exile arc lads, kind of, okay obligatory dream doesn't get physically beat up in this one, so i'm including it anyway, techno too but he isn't in this one so, with or without memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28924254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patrichor/pseuds/patrichor
Summary: Ghostbur sees more than he lets on, and just because he doesn't remember doesn't mean he doesn't understand.Or, Ghostbur takes one look at Tommy about to be exiled and decides that god has let him live another day and he's about to make that specifically Dream's problem.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Series: c!dream gets beat UP [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112075
Comments: 106
Kudos: 966





	1. empty vessel

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact the working title of the draft was 'ghostbur in court what will he do'
> 
> okay dream does not get physically beat up in this one but he suffers so i decided it counts :)
> 
> fair warning this will be inaccurate i haven't watched the exile streams bc i don't do well with emotional manipulation themes

Things are going well for Dream. He has Tommy in court, and Tubbo is being backed into a corner. Soon he'll have no choice but to exile him, especially with Tommy taking the full blame to protect that new kid. Things are going well, right up until Ghostbur drifts into the courtroom with a smile.

In hindsight, Dream really should've known what was coming. That wasn't Ghostbur's smile, it was Wilbur's- a little too wide, gleaming with mischief. Back before L'Manberg, before the stresses of leadership and exile turned his smile sharp and desperate when he smiled at all, back when his main motivation was to cause problems on purpose.

Yeah, Dream really should've noticed what was up before it was too late.

"Hello, Tommy!" Ghostbur says happily, ignoring the rest of the gathered people and floating over to his little brother.

"Hello, Ghostbur." Tommy sighs, making an effort to smile back. "We're kind of in the middle of something right now, d'you think you could go wait with Phil or something?"

"Really?" Ghostbur does an excited little loop in the air, his happy expression contrasting the solemn mood in the rest of the room. "What're you doing?"

"Tommy's on trial for burning down George's house." Dream cuts in, tired of the distraction giving the two teens time to think.

Ghostbur gasps, floating up a foot higher in the air. "Oh! I remember that!"

Dream senses an opportunity, and seizes it with both hands. A witness will greatly help his case, because as he knows, Ghostbur isn't aware enough of what happens around him to want to lie even if he could.

"You do?" He asks quickly, not missing how Tommy's head jerks up. "Why don't you tell us?"

"Yeah, it was so fun!" Ghostbur cheers, spinning in a little circle. "Oh, wait- this is court, do I need to be in a witness stand? Or swear an oath-" He deepens his voice, making an exaggerated serious face. "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Dream sighs under his breath. God, he'd forgotten just how frustrating Wilbur could be when he decided to. It's not on purpose, he reminds himself, he just doesn't understand what's happening.

"Yes, that's fine, thank you Ghostbur." Tubbo says, smiling patiently. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Sure, sure!" Ghostbur nods eagerly. "So I was out with Friend, right, because I sheared him but then he wasn't blue anymore, so we went to look for grass so he could eat it and grow back his wool! And he doesn't like the grass in L'Manberg too much, so I always try to take him a little further away to eat, and the grass near George's house is really nice and I thought, I'll take Friend there because he's been very good and he deserves a treat. Did you know, he-"

"Ghostbur." Dream interrupts patiently. "George's house. Tommy. What did you see?"

Ghostbur blinks, still smiling. "Right, right! So like I said, I was near George's house with Friend when I saw Tommy running away. So I went to talk to him, I went up to him and said 'Hi Tommy!' and he said 'Hi Ghostbur, this is kind of a bad time, I'm a little busy' and I said 'What are you doing?' and he said 'Don't tell anyone, but we just robbed George's house' and I was like 'Really? That sounds fun!' and he said 'Yeah, why don't you go steal some stuff too? It'd be pretty funny!' and I thought yeah, that does sound pretty funny so I tied Friend to a post outside! And when I went inside there was lots of stuff, and I wasn't really sure what I should steal so I was thinking about it and-"

Dream's head is in his hands. "Ghostbur, _please_ just get to the part with the fire."

"Right, right!" Ghostbur agrees cheerfully, and the proceeds to launch right back into his story from where he left off, either ignoring or oblivious to Dream's pained sigh.

"So like I was saying, I wasn't sure what to take but then I remembered back before L'Manberg me and Tommy used to do lots of fun stuff, and I thought why not get some of that stuff and maybe surprise him next time we hang out!"

"Wait, what did you steal?" Tommy interrupts, definitely deliberately ignoring the way Dream sinks further in his seat. "You never told me."

Ghostbur does a little spin, beaming. "Drugs!"

Tommy and Tubbo both absolutely lose it, remembering the 'drug business' they had run back before the revolution. From the jury, Phil's laugh can be heard as well. Ghostbur looks at them proudly, clearly having accomplished his goal of cheering them up.

"So potions?" Tubbo wheezes, fighting valiantly to stop laughing.

Ghostbur nods eagerly. "Stuff to make potions! I still have them somewhere, I think.. I could go find them, we could set up the drug van again!"

Phil's wheeze of _"the drug van??"_ is faintly audible as Tommy rests his head on the table in front of him, shoulders shaking with laughter.

"No, that's alright Ghostbur, thank you." Tubbo, having regained control of himself, attempts to keep the situation moving. "We're in the middle of a trial, so-"

"After, then." Ghostbur winks at Tubbo, whose face twists a little with the effort of suppressing his smile.

"Can we _please_ get back to the trial." Dream is suffering. When he'd asked Ghostbur to testify, he hadn't expected this. Leave it to Wilbur Soot to surprise him at every turn.

The surprises aren't done yet, though, because Ghostbur nods cheerfully. "Right, right! So I got the drug materials, and then I saw some flint and steel and thought it looked really pretty, so I set the house on fire and I was right-"

Dream's train of thought jerks to a halt, nearly derailing entirely. " _What_."

Ghostbur looks up at him innocently. "I was right, it looked really pretty. George is a very good builder you know, his house looked so nice on fire."

Tommy's eyes widen, but Tubbo speaks before he can say anything. "So- so you burned down George's house, not Tommy?"

Ghostbur beams at him. "Yeah, because I thought the fire would look really pretty and I was right."

Tommy splutters. "Ghostbur, you- what are you saying? Why would you say that you-"

Ghostbur floats over to him and ruffles his hair, his mouth closing with a snap. "It's okay Tommy, you don't need to protect me. It's just a little arson, we've all done way worse on this server."

Dream feels control of the situation slipping from his grasp. "You- Ghostbur, people said they saw Tommy leaving and fire immediately after. How could you have-"

Ghostbur turns and smiles at him, and this time he recognizes the grin for the warning it is. "Yeah, I really like fire!"

Dream's mouth opens and closes, but he can't find any words. Leave it to Wilbur fucking Soot to blindside him, even in death. Before he can regain himself and seize control of the situation, Tubbo is speaking.

"Well, I guess that settles it. We have a confession from Ghostbur, so that just leaves sentencing from the jury."

And for the first time in a long time, Dream is completely powerless as the jury unanimously decides that Ghostbur's punishment is to help George get materials to rebuild, since they all agreed they'd done worse.

"And besides, he's a ghost." Quackity points out. "We all know he isn't always.. there, exactly."

Fundy nods in agreement. "If we exiled him or something he'd probably forget and come right back anyway."

Ghostbur has seemingly lost interest in the proceedings, floating over to where Tommy sits and chattering away with a smile about whatever Friend has been doing recently.

Dream's fists clench. He's been thwarted before, but it still infuriates him every time. Even more so because it happens so rarely. And to top it all off, he hasn't even gained any useful insight into the apparent new obstacle!

Ghostbur genuinely doesn't remember a lot, Dream's sure of that. But how much he really remembers, and how much he's aware of, Dream has no idea. Clearly he notices more than he allows everyone to believe, and he can lie after all. Unless this was something like a temporary return to awareness, maybe triggered by his brother needing help? Hell, maybe he was briefly possessed- hah! a ghost, being possessed- by 'Alivebur'. Dream has absolutely no idea, and it enrages him. This is his SMP! So how is it, then, that at every turn he finds Wilbur Soot blocking his way? Clearly, even death isn't enough to stop the man from making his continued existence Dream's problem.

He leaves the courthouse, fuming behind his mask. For the briefest moment, he saw more than lucidity in Ghostbur's eyes. He saw the same keen intuition and sharp insight Wilbur possessed during the revolution and his presidency, before the extended mental breakdown that eventually led to his death.

The thought is suddenly chilling. Yes, Tommy and Tubbo were the first to defy him, but Wilbur is the one who rose up to stand behind them and lead them to victory. He was never more dangerous than when someone or something threatened his family, because what during peace was a streak of harmless chaos became a willingness to do whatever it took to protect his family during times of strife.

Dream walks back to the castle, his mind racing. He isn't giving up, of course not, but he'll need a new plan. Multiple new plans, apparently, because he has enough pattern recognition to know that in his right mind, Wilbur Soot will bulldoze his way through multiple of Dream's schemes, just by being his cryptic, unpredictable self. And Dream doesn't have enough information to know if Ghostbur counts as 'in his right mind' or not. Today suggests so, but everything else he's seen has gone against it.

He sighs, already feeling a headache forming. No more planning today. It's been thoroughly ruined, and he needs a break before he can tackle the problem that is Ghostbur.


	2. crooked teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hello, Dream!" Ghostbur smiles at him- not the smile he'd seen mere days ago at the courthouse, but the cheerful, somewhat vacant expression Dream was used to. "I wanted to talk to you! Shall we walk?"
> 
> Dream has nothing better to do, and figuring out the whole Ghostbur situation is actually rather high on his priority list, so he agrees. Despite Ghostbur implying he had something important to talk about, he speaks of nothing relevant at all as they walk, instead chattering about his sheep or son or whatever he's talking about now.
> 
> Dream blinks, and realizes they're heading towards the forest, as though Ghostbur doesn't want to be overheard. ...Interesting. Alright, then. He'll play along and see where this goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this wasn't gonna get a second chapter but then i got the image of ghostbur going and threatening dream afterwards and it wouldn't leave me alone so here we are ig
> 
> thanks for reading! enjoy :)

Dream finds Ghostbur wandering outside of L'Manberg. The ghost's face brightens when he sees him, and he floats over excitedly.

"Dream! Just the person I was looking for!"

Dream feels his brow raise under his mask. "..Really. Hello, Ghostbur. What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Dream!" Ghostbur smiles at him- not the smile he'd seen mere days ago at the courthouse, but the cheerful, somewhat vacant expression Dream was used to. "I wanted to talk to you! Shall we walk?"

Dream has nothing better to do, and figuring out the whole Ghostbur situation is actually rather high on his priority list, so he agrees. Despite Ghostbur implying he had something important to talk about, he speaks of nothing relevant at all as they walk, instead chattering about his sheep or son or whatever he's talking about now.

Dream blinks, and realizes they're heading towards the forest, as though Ghostbur doesn't want to be overheard. ..Interesting. Alright, then. He'll play along and see where this goes.

They reach the treeline and vanish into the woods, and Ghostbur is saying something about Tommy when he trails off, tilting his head as if listening to something only he can hear. Dream would rather lose a life than admit it, but the distant look in the ghost's eyes unsettles him.

"Oh." He responds, to something Dream can't hear. "Okay, then. Hello, Dream. Let's talk."

Dream leans against a tree, looking up at the hovering spectre. "Sure." He says lightly. "What did you want to chat about, Ghostbur?"

"Oh, not at the moment." Ghostbur responds in the same even tone but a deeper voice, his smile unchanging. "I'm just visiting right now."

Dream stiffens. "..Alivebur?"

"Is that what you've been calling me? Bit ironic, considering I was dead before ghost me showed up." Gho- Wilbur's smile doesn't change, but something about the look in his eyes seems almost sinister. "Don't worry though, I won't be staying long. Ghostbur called me up after the trial, asked me to talk to you for a bit."

Dream straightens slowly, crossing his arms to hide his unease. "Really. About what?"

Wilbur's smile widens. It's sharp now, not as much as near the end of his life, but with a far more dangerous edge than when he and Dream had fought. "Guess."

There's really only one thing that Ghostbur would speak to the other version of himself about, considering how adament the ghost was about his dislike for Alivebur.

"About Tommy, then."

Wilbur's dark eyes glitter. "Bingo." He leans forward, still floating, his height advantage on Dream suddenly feeling stifling. "Now, in the interest of fairness, I'm going to give you three chances to explain why the hell you're trying to exile my little brother."

Dream swallows, watching the other carefully. He's the Admin, and while that may not mean much when it comes to the afterlife, it does mean one thing- he can recognize that Ghostbur is a harmless specter. More of an echo, really, than anything else. The Wilbur in front of him is something far more malicious, and far more dangerous.

"He burned down George's house-" He starts, only for Wilbur to cut him off.

"Oh, a bit of arson? Tell me, do you remember helping him destroy Sapnap's tower after Henry was killed? Or.. anything Sapnap has done, really, let's be honest here the man's a bit of a pyromaniac. We've all done worse here, Dream, that's not a reason. That's an excuse. Two chances."

Dream takes a breath and tries again. "He needs to learn that there are consequences-"

"He fought in two wars and then I destroyed everything we were trying to reclaim. He knows actions have consequences, Dream, apparently better than you do!" Wilbur's form flickers briefly as his anger rises, and for a moment he looks partially burned, blood dripping from his mouth and flowing from the gash on his chest- and then Dream blinks, and he looks exactly as he had before.

"It seems like you're the one who doesn't understand consequences, Dream." Wilbur's voice is deceptively soft, something furious and dark lurking in his eyes. "Do you believe yourself exempt? Because I would love nothing more than to prove just how wrong you are. Just give me a reason to. One chance."

Dream can feel sweat trickling down the back of his neck. "To regain control of the server." He finally snarls. "Because he's the one who brought attachment here, and if I control him I can control everything."

Wilbur smiles, but there's no humor in it. "There. Was that so hard?" There's something almost patronizing in his expression, sending fury racing down Dream's spine. He opens his mouth to speak, but the ghost can tell even with his mask and holds up a finger, smile unchanging. "Ah-ah. My turn to talk, and you're going to listen."

Dream falls back against the tree as Wilbur leans away, finally moving out of his personal space.

"Have you ever heard of the sky gods?" Wilbur asks, tone conversational.

Dream remembers the old tales of gods known for their cruel games and often-fatal whims, and nods.

"Years ago, I was taken by the sky gods." Wilbur continues, his tone as light as if he was merely discussing the weather. "Schlatt and I both, did you know? We played their games, and he won by betraying and killing me. He got to leave, while I was thrown into more games."

Dream listens with sick horror, his eyes wide. He'd suspected that the sky gods might have been real, but to discover it like this...

"I played well, of course." Wilbur isn't looking at Dream anymore, his expression unreadable. "So well, in fact, that they let me run games of my own as long as it entertained them."

Dream's breath caught. Out of the many, many things he had anticipated upon entering this conversation, this was not one of them.

Wilbur turns to look at Dream, his eyes empty and his face flat. "So I did. I ran games until the sky gods decided I was too cruel and let me go." He moves closer to Dream, making eye contact through the mask.

Dream suddenly can't breathe. To be deemed cruel by the _sky gods,_ renowned for their twisted imaginations having no limit.. what exactly has Wilbur done? What is he capable of?

"I'm telling you this," Wilbur deadpans, "So that you know I mean what I say." He lowers his voice, reaching out before Dream can stop him and pulling the mask away so his dark eyes meet Dream's wide ones. "If you hurt my family again, if you so much as come near them, I will create for you a hell that you will never escape, and I will make you play my games until you beg me to let you die. And you know I can do it, too, because I have before."

Dream's pretty sure he isn't breathing, but he manages to force a shaky nod. He hates being without his mask, hates how exposed and vulnerable it makes him feel, and he hates how easily Wilbur can tell, based on his satisfied expression.

Wilbur stares him down for a long moment, before finally moving away and allowing Dream to refasten his mask. "You spoke about attachments earlier." He says lightly, as though he hadn't just threatened the sole Admin of the world he was in. "I think it's only fair to tell you that your plan of control won't work on me. Because other people have things they care about above all else. Things that, when taken away, they try to get back." He glances back at Dream, a cruel smile twisting his expression. "Just remember what happened to the last thing I loved that was taken from me, and think twice before you try any of that shit again."

His form is beginning to blur around the edges now. "You know, there's something interesting about being in the afterlife while a ghost of you runs around." He offers casually, seemingly beginning to lose interest in the conversation. He leaves Dream with a warning, though, glancing back one last time.

_"I remember what he forgets."_

And then the blurring stabilizes, and the sharpness of Wilbur's posture and eyes is dulled once more.

"Oh! Hello, Dream. Did you and Alivebur have a lovely chat?" Ghostbur floats over to him, smiling. "I could hear some of it from the void, you know, and he's right! He's not very nice. I think you should probably stay on his good side, y'know?"

Dream clears his throat, attempting to gather what shreds of composure he has left. "..Yeah, Ghostbur." He mutters, turning away. He could teleport back to the castle, of course, but he needs time to think. To calm himself, and figure out what he's going to do about having made an enemy of a man feared by the sky gods, one who has already died and can't be killed or banned.

"Yeah, I think that would be wise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i jusg want alivebur to come back and kick dream's ass for hurting his little bro.... i lov he
> 
> also yeah i do describe ghost alivebur in some very menacing ways but a) this is dream's pov and dude is fucking terrfied and b) i want wilbur to be able to be scary when he wants to. its what he deserves
> 
> also alternate sky gods lore pog??? basically my idea was like what if wilbur survived the sky gods' games for so long that he became one of them and then i wanted him to use that to scare the shit out of dream, and things kinda snowballed from there lmao
> 
> so this story we got both ghostbur and alivebur stepping up to fuck with dream on tommy's behalf! something interesting, i think, would be to look at the differences in how they did so. ghostbur showed up all smiley, annoyed the hell out of dream, and ruined everything he'd done thus far. alivebur showed up smiling, scared the shit out of him, and stated not as a threat but as a fact that if dream tried anything else he'd make him beg to be alllowed to die. fun little character things! :)

**Author's Note:**

> i wasn't rlly sure how to end it but dream fuming seemed good enough and i have to leave for therapy in a bit anyway so :')
> 
> hope y'all enjoyed! i would like to establish that the series won't only have physical beatdowns, but also mental and possibly emotional ones :)


End file.
